THE Scottish Government is set to be involved in key talks around banning American XL bully dogs with other nations of the UK.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made clear his determination to ban the dogs in England following a spate of attacks, one of which led to the death of a man in Staffordshire while another saw an 11-year-old girl suffer serious injuries in Birmingham.
Although the Dangerous Dogs Act is a UK-wide piece of legislation, Scotland is able to make its own amendments when it comes to the specifics of the legislation.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said no firm decision has been made in Scotland last Friday but the Government was further pressed on what consideration it was giving to the matter by Tory MSP Jamie Greene in the chamber on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Roza Salih hopes to become Scotland's first refugee MP
On average, about three people were killed in England and Wales each year in dogs attacks from 2001 to 2021, but there has been a sudden increase in deaths, with XL bully dogs involved in a significant number of the attacks.
Siobhian Brown, Minister for Community Safety, said Scottish Government officials had met with the UK Government for talks and a representative would be involved in an expert group looking at the legal definition of an American XL bully dog.
She told the Parliament: “We’ve noted the intention of the UK Government to take steps to introduce a ban on American XL bully dogs.
“Scottish Government officials met with DEFRA [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] and officials from Wales and Northern Ireland last Friday to discuss and hear more about the UK Government’s approach.
“The UK Government are planning to convene an expert group to specify a legal definition of the American bully XL and this group will consist of a body concerned with animal welfare, veterinary science and practice, and will include representatives from the police and the four nations.
“That work when carried out will inform our own consideration on any ban moving forward.
“We’re committed to giving full consideration to the issue and to ensure we arrive at the correct decision.”
Brown added that any ban on the dogs going forward would not necessarily mean they would be put down.
She said: “It’s very important that we emphasise that a dog being a banned breed does not automatically mean it’s going to be put down. There are conditions that can be met such as having the dog neutered, or keeping the dog muzzled in public, or the dog can be placed on the index of exempted dogs by the court.”
READ MORE: SNP slam Labour shadow cabinet member for 'mirroring Tory policy' on benefits
The index is operated by DEFRA on a UK-wide basis.
Greene also asked the Scottish Government whether there had been any progress with toughening existing legislation governing extreme and illegal breeding and irresponsible ownership, an issue he raised back in January.
Brown said a working group had been established to look at this.
She added: “We have established an operational working group involving local authorities, Police Scotland and Cosla and other key stakeholders to progress this work. We published updated statutory guidance to help local authorities to carry out their functions under the control of dogs legislation.”
With SNP backbencher Christine Grahame bringing forward a member’s bill to Holyrood on dog welfare, Yousaf said last week that proposed legislation could mean “there may be opportunities to consider a ban up here in Scotland”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here